


Affirmations

by LisaDuncansTwin



Series: Life's Little Ups and Downs [3]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Drama, M/M, Written in 2001, h/c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 00:25:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/791922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LisaDuncansTwin/pseuds/LisaDuncansTwin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A close call reminds Jim and Blair of what's really important.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Affirmations

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written and betaed in 2001, left unaltered. This story is inspired by real life events. This exact type of accident happened to my husband and me just over a week ago. We also walked away in one piece. Shaky, but okay. Special thanks to my TFC girls cause y'all really helped, to my Imp who made me laugh with her sunshine, and to my Mongoose for always being there and knowing what I need.

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, it was dark and raining. It was a Friday night, and Blair Sandburg had been at a friend's house admiring her new puppy after working a full day as Jim's partner. Sometimes Blair still couldn't believe he was a cop, but the identification card in his wallet didn't lie. And neither did the .38 he wore in a shoulder holster. 

It had been misting on and off for hours, making it a miserable day, and the low temperatures only made it worse. Blair was glad he was heading home, back to Jim and their warm loft. 

Approaching the intersection of Perry Hall and Honeygo, Blair saw that the light was green. As he got closer to the intersection, he slowed when a car turned in front of him, obviously trying to make the turn before his light turned red. 

With his eyes on the road in front of him, Blair didn't see the second car. In fact, he didn't even realize he'd been hit until the accident was over. 

Finally feeling himself and the car come to a stop, Blair gripped the steering wheel with tight fists, knuckles white with anxiety. 

_I'm fine. I'm fine._ He reassured himself. 

"Fuck!" 

_Jim. I've got to call Jim._

He tried to open his door, but it wouldn't budge. 

"Fuck!" 

A tap on the passenger's side window startled him. 

"You okay?" a uniformed officer asked. 

"Yes," Blair answered. 

"Can you get out?" 

"No, the door's stu-stuck." Blair heard himself stammer the last word and for a brief second he almost giggled. 

"Can you climb out this side?" 

"Yeah." 

Slowly, Blair slid across the seat, unlocked the door and stepped out. Pulling the cell phone off his hip, he quickly hit the memory button, saying a silent prayer for the upgraded phone because he wasn't sure he could have dialed the number if he'd actually had to. 

"Hello?" 

"Can you come?" Blair managed to say, voice trembling. 

"Where are you?" Jim asked, on immediate alert. 

Blair repeated his location and heard the click in his ear. 

'Jim is coming. Everything is going to be okay. Jim is on his way.' 

Finally, Blair he looked at around the intersection. His car was facing the opposite direction he'd been traveling. It was clear that his car had spun around due to the force of the accident. Looking for the other guy, Blair finally saw the Jeep Cherokee. The driver was talking to the officer and he appeared to be fine. Blair said another silent prayer that they both would walk away from this. 

Shaking his head, Blair walked around the back of the car. A siren caught his attention and thinking it was Jim, he turned to see a fire truck pull up beside him. 

One of the men jumped out and walked up to him. "You hurt?" 

"No," Blair reassured him. 

"You sure?" 

"Yeah." 

He watched the fire fighter walk over to the Jeep and speak to the driver. The man nodded his head, unhurt, and the fire fighter returned to his truck and they drove away. Blair returned to his previous task; he needed to see the damage. And that's how Jim found him three minutes later. Hand over his mouth, shaking, staring at the dented side of his Volvo. 

"Chief?" 

Turning, Blair finally registered Jim's presence. 

"You okay?" Jim asked, already monitoring Blair's vitals and roughly running his hands down Blair's arms and chest. 

"Fine. I'm fine," Blair managed. "But my car..." 

Gripping Blair by the forearms, Jim said sternly, "I don't give a fuck about the car, Chief." 

So much said with so few words. 

"Ellison?" the uniformed cop asked. 

"Yeah?" Jim said, turning. "Saunders? That you? Been a long time." 

"Three years. The Bowers case." 

"Yeah," Jim said, shaking his head. "So, what's the story?" 

Blair tuned them out then, looking back at the damage to his car. In all his years, he'd done a lot of things, but he'd never been involved in an accident. The reality of the situation hit him then, and his legs trembled from more than just the cold dampness. 

"Chief, let's get you outta this." 

Blair would later remember Jim practically carrying him to the truck, tucking a spare blanket around his shoulders and turning the heat up, but at the moment, he was totally out of it. 

Jim helped Saunders fill out the accident report, supplying all of Blair's information. While Saunders wrote the other driver a ticket for failure to yield the right of way, Jim called a tow truck. 

Saunders stayed on the scene after the other driver left, keeping Jim company while the Volvo was carefully lifted onto the bed of the tow truck. When all was said and done, Jim and Saunders shook hands, both men heading home. 

Back in the truck, Jim kept a close eye on Blair. He'd been a medic and knew all the signs of shock, and Blair was right on the edge. Jim tried to make small talk, to take Blair's mind off the accident, but he only managed to get a stiff smile. They were home in a matter of minutes and upstairs just as quickly. 

Standing inside the loft door, Jim couldn't hold himself back any longer. The blanket and jacket hit the floor as one. Buttons skittered across the living room floor as Blair's shirt was ripped open. The tee-shirt was roughly yanked over Blair's wet hair and tossed aside. Somehow the button and zipper on his pants were opened and they, along with the boxers, were pulled down. Pushing Blair back against the door, Jim dropped to his knees, yanking at the laces on the hiking boots with little regard for the knots that would form later. Socks, pants and boxers were slid off and Blair stood before him, naked and shivering, but there was only one thought in Jim's head. 

_Check. Make sure. Protect the Guide._

Jim's hands roved over and across Blair's cold body, needing to feel what his eyes and ears were telling him. Nothing was broken. Blair wasn't bleeding. There was no physical damage. _Wait._ Slowing his hands on Blair's chest, Jim felt spots of heat. Tracing them, it took a moment for the path to become clear. _The seat belt._ Never before had Jim fully appreciated Blair's anal retentive seat belt fetish. And never again would Jim hesitate to put on his own seat belt. 

_Blair is fine. Blair is safe._

Just as quickly as it had started, the frantic body search was over, but in its place was something new. Something which made Blair tremble even harder. 

Jim was crying. 

His arms were clenched tightly around Blair's waist, face pressed into Blair's stomach, the hot tears scalding his cold skin. Blair ran his hands across Jim's shoulders, soothing his Sentinel. He pulled Jim's head away from his stomach, face firmly cupped him Blair's hands, and their eyes met. 

Every word they'd ever said to each other was in their eyes. Promises of words to be spoken in the future shined brightly. Need was communicated so clearly, that action was inevitable. 

Standing, Jim scooped Blair up in his arms and took him into the bathroom. Setting him down, Jim turned on the shower, adjusting the water temperature, then stripped out of his own clothes. They stepped into the tub, Jim shielding Blair from the first cold blast of water. 

They moved with practiced gestures. Jim always took great pleasure in shampooing and conditioning Blair's hair, and tonight was no exception. It only served to reinforce the voice inside Jim that was constantly repeating the same phrase. _You could have lost him._ Over and over the voice whispered those five words, teasing Jim with their reality, making him confront their very mortality. Making him confront the scariest place he'd ever been-somewhere, _something_ he never wanted to revisit. Lost in a world where Blair's heart was silent. Jim had been in that world for a brief second, a lifetime ago, and he had no illusions. If Blair died before him, Jim would have no choice but to die as well. The silence would kill him, just as surely as a bullet would. 

After their shower, Jim patiently dried Blair's hair, luxuriating in the softness of the freshly washed locks, and savoring the intimacy of their silence. The warmth of the shower had infused their skin with heat, and their closeness only served to warm them more. The residual heat and closeness had also calmed the voices in their heads, leaving them in a relaxed place. 

Taking Blair's hand, Jim led him from the warm safety of the bathroom up the stairs to their waiting bed. They climbed under the covers, spooning up together, back to chest, skin touching at virtually every point. Their left hands rested on Blair's chest, above his heart, fingers entwined. 

Jim's lips moved against Blair's ear, but no words came out. 

"I know," Blair said softly. 

Again, Jim's lips moved, this time, only one word was heard. 

"...love..." 

"I've always known, Jim." 

And in the silence that wasn't silent, they held each other against the rain and mortality, feeling a love so deep that mere words would never do it justice. 

It was a dark and stormy night, and two men slept soundly in each other's arms. 

The end. 


End file.
